Efficient transmission of a response signal for a random access preamble transmitted from legacy or extension carrier capable devices

ABSTRACT

In order to provide a transmission device and transmission method with which a response signal for random access preamble transmitted from a preamble transmission device is efficiently transmitted, setting unit in base station sets a first resource candidate group, which enables terminal capable of receiving a latch response transmitted by demodulation reference signal (DMRS) transmission to be selected, and a second resource candidate group, which enables terminal incapable of receiving a latch response transmitted by DMRS transmission but capable of receiving a latch response transmitted by cell-specific reference signal (CRS) transmission to be selected. Control unit selects DMRS transmission as the latch response transmission method when a resource in which latch preamble has been received is included in the first candidate group, but selects CRS transmission as the latch response transmission method when the resource is included in the second resource candidate group.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a transmission apparatus, a preambletransmission apparatus and a transmission method.

Description of the Related Art

In Release 8 (Rel. 8) of 3GPP-LTE (3rd Generation Partnership ProjectRadio Access Network Long Term Evolution) (hereinafter may be simplyreferred to as “LTE”), OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multipleaccess) is employed as a downlink communication method, and SC-FDMA(single carrier frequency division multiple access) is employed as anuplink communication method.

In the Rel. 8 downlink, in order to demodulate a data signal (forexample, a signal transmitted via a PDSCH), a CRS (cell specificreference signal) is used. In other words, the Rel. 8 downlink supports“CRS-used data transmission.” “CRS-used data transmission” refers to atransmission method in which a data signal is transmitted together witha CRS in a subframe with the CRS mapped therein, and during datareception, a terminal estimates a propagation channel according to theCRS and demodulates the data. A CRS is a reference signal to betransmitted over a full band in all subframes and is common within agiven cell. Also, CRSs are mapped to time and frequency resources thatdepend on a cell ID, and for the CRSs, antenna ports 0 to 3 are usedaccording to the number of transmission antennae. Also, CRSs aretransmitted so as to cover all areas in a given cell. CRSs are also usedfor quality measurement, and results of the quality measurement are usedfor link adaptation or scheduling.

Meanwhile, Rel. 10, which is LTE-Advanced, supports “DMRS (demodulationreference signal)-used data transmission” in order to apply MIMO(multi-input multi-output) to downlink. “DMRS-used data transmission”refers to a transmission method in which a data signal is transmittedtogether with a DMRS in a subframe with a DMRS mapped therein, andduring data reception, a terminal estimates a propagation channelaccording to the DMRS to demodulate the data. DMRS may be called “UEspecific reference signal.” Also, while CRSs are transmitted to anentire cell, DMRSs are transmitted to a terminal to which a dataresource for mapping a downlink data signal has been allocated, andtransmitted only in a resource block (that is, a frequency resource) towhich the data for the terminal has been allocated. When a data signalis transmitted to a predetermined terminal, a beam is formed byprecoding, enabling data communication using the beam. Datacommunication using such beam provides a high throughput (see, forexample, NPLs 1, 2, 3 and 4). Also, DMRS-used data transmission can beused for a terminal for which transmission mode 9 has been set. Also,antenna ports 7 to 14 are used according to the number of transmissionantennae. Also, in Rel. 10, which is LTE-Advanced, CSI-RSs are used forquality measurement, and results of the quality measurement are used forlink adaptation or scheduling.

Also, in Rel. 10, which is LTE-Advanced, a terminal for whichtransmission mode 9 has been set can also transmit a data signal in an“MBSFN (multi-broadcast single frequency network) subframe.”

Meanwhile, in Rel. 8, an “MBSFN subframe” is used for transmitting MBMSdata (multicast or broadcast data) from a plurality of base stations toan SFN (single frequency network). Thus, resources in which a PDCCHsignal and a CRS are mapped are limited to first two OFDM symbols in asubframe. Then, only MBMS data can be mapped in a third OFDM symbol fromthe head of the subframe and OFDM symbols subsequent to the third OFDMsymbol. In other words, an MBSFN subframe contains no CRS in a thirdOFDM symbol from the head of the subframe or OFDM symbols subsequent tothe third OFDM symbol (that is, data transmission region).

On the other hand, in Rel. 10, which is LTE-Advanced, DMRS-used datatransmission (unicast data transmission) can be performed also in MBSFNsubframes. As described above, an MBSFN subframe contains no CRS in thethird OFDM symbol from the head of a subframe or OFDM symbols subsequentto the third OFDM symbol (that is, data transmission region), and thus,in Rel. 10, which is LTE-Advanced, more time and frequency resources canbe used for PDSCH.

Also, for Rel. 11 (release following Rel. 10), which is LTE-Advanced,CoMP transmission, which provides coordinated transmission from aplurality of nodes, is being studied. Also, in the case where the CoMPtransmission is used in a heterogeneous network environment, anoperation using a cell ID that is the same as that of an HPN for aplurality of LPNs in a macro cell is being discussed (see, for example,NPL 6). In such operation, a common CRS is transmitted from an HPN andLPNs using a same cell ID. The term “heterogeneous network environment”refers to a network environment including a macro base station (HPN(high power node)) and pico base stations (LPN (low power nodes)).

Furthermore, an extension carrier (non-backward compatible carrier) fordownlink is being studied for Rel. 11, which is LTE-Advanced. Theextension carrier supports only DMRS, and no CRS is transmitted foroverhead reduction (see, for example, NPL 7). As described above, theextension carrier enables highly efficient transmission by the operationthat supports DMRS-used data transmission only.

Also, in LTE and LTE-Advanced, a terminal transmits an RACH (randomaccess channel) to a base station when initial access is made, uplinkdata is generated during connection, or a handover is performed.Consequently, an attempt to establish connection from the terminal tothe base station or to establish re-synchronization therebetween ismade. A series of operations for the connection from the terminal to thebase station or the establishment of re-synchronization therebetween iscalled “random access procedure.” “Random access procedure” includes thefour steps indicated in FIG. 1 (see, for example, NPL 5).

Step 1 (transmission of message 1): A terminal randomly selects an RACHpreamble resource to be actually used from a group of RACH preambleresource candidates (prescribed by combinations of time resources,frequency resources and sequence resources). Then, the terminaltransmits an RACH preamble using the selected RACH preamble resource.Here, the selectable RACH preamble resource candidates are differentdepending on whether a propagation loss (path loss) between a basestation and the terminal is not less than a predetermined threshold oris not greater than the predetermined threshold. The selectable RACHpreamble resource candidates are also different depending on whether thedata size is not less than a predetermined threshold or is not greaterthan the predetermined threshold. Also, an RACH preamble may be called“message 1.”

Step 2 (transmission of message 2): when a base station detects the RACHpreamble, the base station transmits an RACH response (or a randomaccess response). At this point of time, the base station cannotidentify the terminal that has transmitted the RACH preamble. Thus, theRACH response is transmitted over the entire cell covered by the basestation. A data resource in which the RACH response is mapped (that is,a PDSCH resource) is indicated by the base station to the terminal via aPDCCH. Also, the RACH response contains information relating to aresource to be used by the terminal in uplink or information relating touplink transmission timing for the terminal. Here, if the terminal thathas transmitted the RACH preamble receives no RACH response within apredetermined period of time from the transmission of the RACH preamble(that is, a retransmission determination period), the terminal performsRACH preamble resource selection and RACH preamble transmission (RACHretransmission) again.

Step 3 (transmission of message 3): the terminal transmits data such asan RRC connection request or a scheduling request using the uplinkresource specified by the base station via the RACH response.

Step 4 (transmission of message 4): The base station transmits a messagecontaining a UE-ID (for example, C-RNTI or temporary C-RNTI) assigned tothe terminal, to the terminal to confirm that there is no contentionbetween a plurality of terminals (contention resolution).

CITATION LIST Non-Patent Literature

-   NPL 3GPP TS 36.211 V10.1.0, “Physical Channels and Modulation    (Release 1 10),” March 2011-   NPL 3GPP TS 36.212 V10.1.0, “Multiplexing and channel coding    (Release 2 10),” March 2011-   NPL 3GPP TS 36.213 V10.1.0, “Physical layer procedures (Release    10),” 3 Mar. 2011-   NPL 3GPP TS 36.321 V10.1.0, “Medium Access Control Protocol 4    specification, (Release 10)” March 2011-   NPL “LTE-THE UNITS LONG TERM EVOLUTION,” Section 19, John 5 Wiley &    Sons Ltd, April 2009-   NPL 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 meeting, R1-110649, February 2011 6-   NPL 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 meeting, R1-100359, January 2010 7-   NPL 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 meeting, R1-111716, May 2011 8

BRIEF SUMMARY Technical Problem

As described above, the LTE-Advanced system provides highly efficienttransmission by DMRS-used data transmission in MBSFN subframes andextension carriers, and CoMP transmission using a same cell ID.

However, “random access procedure” has the following problems.

(1) Problems relating to MBSFN subframe:

In one frame (=ten subframes), subframes with subframe numbers otherthan 0, 4, 5 and 9 can be set as MBSFN subframes. In other words,subframes with subframe numbers of 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8 are set as MBSFNsubframes, enabling highly efficient system operation.

Here, in a non-MBSFN subframe, a CRS is mapped over the entire subframe,an RACH response can be transmitted by “CRS-used data transmission.” Inother words, in a non-MBSFN subframe, even if an RACH response istransmitted by “CRS-used data transmission,” the terminal can receivethe downlink data signal at a sufficiently low error rate.

On the other hand, in an MBSFN subframe, a CRS is mapped to only twoOFDM symbols from the head of the subframe. Thus, with the MBSFNsubframe, an error rate in RACH response reception increases.

Here, as described above, a terminal that supports Rel. 10, which isLTE-Advanced, can receive a DMRS. Thus, in Rel. 10, which isLTE-Advanced, an RACH response may be transmitted in an MBSFN subframe(see, for example, NPL 8).

However, if an RACH response is transmitted by “DMRS-used datatransmission,” a release 10 compliant terminal can receive the RACHresponse, but a release 8 compliant terminal does not support DMRS andthus cannot receive the RACH response. Thus, even though the basestation transmits an RACH response in an MBSFN subframe to a terminalthat is the transmission source of the RACH preamble, if thetransmission source terminal is a release 8 compliant terminal, the RACHresponse is not correctly received. Accordingly, the transmission sourceterminal re-transmits the RACH preamble. Thus, transmission of an RACHresponse by “DMRS-used data transmission” causes delay for release 8compliant terminals. For this reason, in Rel. 10, an RACH response istransmitted using a CRS, and subframes in which an RACH response may betransmitted are limited to non-MBSFN subframes (see FIG. 2 ). However,limiting subframes used for transmission of an RACH response tonon-MBSFN subframes results in delay of RACH response transmission.Also, shared channel signals to be transmitted by “CRS-used datatransmission,” concentrate in non-MBSFN subframes. For this reason, aPDCCH region (that is, a common search space) used for indicatingresources for mapping shared channel signals is congested. A sharedchannel signal that needs to be transmitted by “CRS-used datatransmission” contains, e.g., an SIB (system information block), whichis broadcast information, or paging information.

(2) Problems relating to extension carrier:

Provision of extension carriers enables an increase in capacity ofresources. However, the extension carriers cannot be used for release 8or release 10 compliant terminals. Thus, in transmission using a PDSCHduring an RACH procedure, it is necessary to use normal componentcarriers. For this reason, normal component carriers are congested,which may result in delay in initial access or handover.

(3) Problems relating to CoMP transmission using same cell ID:

A common CRS is transmitted from all HPN and LPNs using the same cellID. Thus, when CRS-used data transmission (that is, transmission of aPDSCH), the PDSCH is also transmitted from all transmission points (thatis, all the HPN and the LPNs using the same cell ID). Accordingly, ifdata transmission using a CRS is employed for data transmission using aPDSCH during an RACH procedure, even for data transmission to a terminallocated in the vicinity of a certain transmission point, the data isinefficiently transmitted from all the transmission points.

An object of the present disclosure to provide a transmission apparatus,a preamble transmission apparatus and a transmission method that achieveefficient response signal transmission.

Solution to Problem

A transmission apparatus according to an aspect of the presentdisclosure is a transmission apparatus configured to receive a randomaccess preamble transmitted from a preamble transmission apparatus andto transmit a response signal for the received random access preamble tothe preamble transmission apparatus, the transmission apparatusincluding: a transmission section that transmits a first referencesignal via a first antenna port and transmits a second reference signalvia a second antenna port; a setting section that sets a first resourcegroup selectable by a first preamble transmission apparatus allowed toreceive the response signal transmitted via the first antenna port andthe response signal transmitted via the second antenna port, and asecond resource group selectable by a second preamble transmissionapparatus not allowed to receive the response signal transmitted via thefirst antenna port but allowed to receive the response signaltransmitted via the second antenna port; and a reception section thatreceives the random access preamble transmitted using a resourceincluded in the first resource group or the second resource group, inwhich the transmission section transmits the response signal via thefirst antenna port or the second antenna port when the resource used forthe random access preamble is included in the first resource group, andthe transmission section transmits the response signal via the secondantenna port when the resource used for the random access preamble isincluded in the second resource group.

A transmission apparatus according to an aspect of the presentdisclosure is a transmission apparatus configured to receive a randomaccess preamble transmitted from a preamble transmission apparatus andto transmit a response signal for the received random access preamble tothe preamble transmission apparatus, the transmission apparatusincluding: a transmission section that transmits a first referencesignal via a first antenna port and transmits a second reference signalvia a second antenna port; a setting section that sets a first resourcegroup used for transmitting the response signal for the random accesspreamble via any one of the first antenna port and the second antennaport, and a second resource group used for transmitting the responsesignal for the random access preamble via the second antenna port; and areception section that receives the random access preamble transmittedusing a resource included in the first resource group or the secondresource group, in which the transmission section transmits the responsesignal via the first antenna port or the second antenna port when theresource used for the random access preamble is included in the firstresource group, and the transmission section transmits the responsesignal via the second antenna port when the resource used for the randomaccess preamble is included in the second resource group.

A preamble transmission apparatus according to an aspect of the presentdisclosure is a preamble transmission apparatus configured to transmit arandom access preamble and to receive a response signal for the randomaccess preamble, the preamble transmission apparatus including: areception section that receives a first reference signal transmitted viaa first antenna port or a second reference signal transmitted via asecond antenna port; a selection section that selects a first resourcegroup in which the response signal for the random access preamble istransmitted via any one of the first antenna port and the second antennaport, or a second resource group in which the response signal for therandom access preamble is transmitted via the second antenna port; and atransmission section that transmits the random access preamble using aresource included in the selected first or second resource group, inwhich the reception section receives the response signal transmitted viathe first antenna port or the second antenna port when the resource usedfor the random access preamble is included in the first resource group,and the reception section receives the response signal transmitted viathe second antenna port when the resource used for the random accesspreamble is included in the second resource group.

A transmission method according to an aspect of the present disclosureis a transmission method for receiving a random access preambletransmitted from a preamble transmission apparatus and transmitting aresponse signal for the received random access preamble to the preambletransmission apparatus, the transmission method including: transmittinga first reference signal via a first antenna port; transmitting a secondreference signal via a second antenna port; setting a first resourcegroup selectable by a first preamble transmission apparatus allowed toreceive the response signal transmitted via the first antenna port andthe response signal transmitted via the second antenna port, and asecond resource group selectable by a second preamble transmissionapparatus not allowed to receive the response signal transmitted via thefirst antenna port but allowed to receive the response signaltransmitted via the second antenna port; and receiving the random accesspreamble transmitted using a resource included in the first resourcegroup or the second resource group, in which: the response signal istransmitted via the first antenna port or the second antenna port whenthe resource used for the random access preamble is included in thefirst resource group; and the response signal is transmitted via thesecond antenna port when the resource used for the random accesspreamble is included in the second resource group.

Advantageous Effects of Disclosure

The present disclosure enables provision of a transmission apparatus, apreamble transmission apparatus and a transmission method that achieveefficient transmission of a response signal for a random access preambletransmitted from a preamble transmission apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram provided for description of a random accessprocedure;

FIG. 2 is a diagram provided for description of subframes in which anRACH response is transmitted;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication systemaccording to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a base stationaccording to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a terminalaccording to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a diagram provided for description of operation of a basestation and terminals according to Embodiment 1 of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a transmissionmethod determination table according to Embodiment 3 of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a transmissionmethod determination table according to Embodiment 3 of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 9 is a diagram provided for description of operation of a basestation and terminals according to Embodiment 3 of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a basestation according to Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a terminalaccording to Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 12 is a diagram provided for description of another example of aretransmission determination period.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail belowwith reference to the accompanying drawings. In the embodiments, samecomponents are provided with same reference numerals and a descriptionthereof will not be repeated to avoid overlap.

Embodiment 1

[Overview of Communication System]

A communication system according to Embodiment 1 of the presentdisclosure includes a transmission apparatus that transmits a responsesignal for a random access preamble, a first preamble transmissionapparatus and a second preamble transmission apparatus that eachtransmits a random access preamble.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the communication systemaccording to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. In FIG. 3 , thecommunication system according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosureincludes base station 100 and terminals 200 and 300. In FIG. 3 , theresponse signal transmission apparatus corresponds to base station 100,and the first and the second preamble transmission apparatusescorrespond to terminals 200 and 300, respectively. Base station 100receives random access preambles transmitted from terminals 200 and 300and transmits response signals for the received random access preamblesto terminals 200 and 300. While terminal 200 can receive a firstreference signal and a second reference signal, terminal 300 cannotreceive a first reference signal but can receive a second referencesignal.

More specifically, in base station 100, transmission section 104 to bedescribed hereinafter transmits a first reference signal via a firstantenna port, and transmits a second reference signal via a secondantenna port. Setting section 101 to be described hereinafter sets afirst resource group that can be selected by the first preambletransmission apparatus that can receive a response signal transmittedvia the first antenna port and a response signal transmitted via asecond antenna port, and a second resource group that can be selected bythe second preamble transmission apparatus that cannot receive aresponse signal transmitted via the first antenna port but can receive aresponse signal transmitted via the second antenna port. Receptionsection 102 to be described hereinafter receives a random accesspreamble transmitted using a resource included in the first resourcegroup or the second resource group. Then, when the resource for therandom access preamble is included in the first resource group,transmission section 104 to be described hereinafter transmits aresponse signal via the first antenna port or the second antenna port.Also, when the resource for the random access preamble is included inthe second resource group, transmission section 104 transmits a responsesignal via the second antenna port. Setting section 101 to be describedhereinafter may set a first resource group in which a response signalfor a random access preamble is transmitted via one of the first antennaport and the second antenna port, and a second resource group in which aresponse signal for a random access preamble is transmitted via thesecond antenna port.

In addition, in terminal 200, reception section 201 to be describedhereinafter receives the first reference signal transmitted via thefirst antenna port and the second reference signal transmitted via thesecond antenna port. Control section 202 to be described hereinafterselects either the first resource group in which a response signal for arandom access preamble is transmitted via one of the first antenna portand the second antenna port or the second resource group in which aresponse signal for a random access preamble is transmitted via thesecond antenna port. Transmission section 203 to be describedhereinafter transmits a random access preamble using a resource includedin the selected one of the first resource group and the second resourcegroup. Then, when the resource for the random access preamble isincluded in the first resource group, reception section 201 to bedescribed hereinafter receives a response signal transmitted via thefirst antenna port or the second antenna port. Meanwhile, when theresource for the random access preamble is included in the secondresource group, reception section 201 receives a response signaltransmitted via the second antenna port.

The below description will be provided on the premise that base station100 is a release 11 compliant base station, terminal 200 is a release 11compliant terminal, and terminal 300 is a terminal compliant with anyone of Rel. 8 to Rel. 10. In other words, base station 100 cancommunicate with a terminal compliant with any one of Rel. 8 to Rel. 11.Also, terminal 200 can communicate with a base station compliant withany one of Rel. 8 to Rel. 11. Meanwhile, terminal 300 can communicatewith a terminal compliant with any one of Rel. 8 to Rel. 10, but cannotcommunicate with a release 11 compliant base station. The firstreference signal is a DMRS, and the second reference signal is a CRS.The response signal is an RACH response.

[Configuration of Base Station 100]

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of base station100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. In FIG. 4 ,base station 100 includes setting section 101, reception section 102,control section 103 and transmission section 104.

Setting section 101 sets a first RACH preamble resource candidate group(that is, the first resource group) that can be selected by terminal 200that can receive an RACH response transmitted by DMRS-used datatransmission (hereinafter may be referred to as “DMRS transmission”).Also, setting section 101 sets a second RACH preamble resource candidategroup (that is, the second resource group) that can be selected byterminal 300 that cannot receive an RACH response transmitted byDMRS-used data transmission but can receive an RACH response transmittedby CRS-used data transmission (hereinafter may be referred to “CRStransmission”). As described above, although the RACH preamble resourcecandidates are each prescribed by a combination of a time resource, afrequency resource and a sequence resource, the below description willbe provided on the premise that the RACH preamble resource candidatesare each prescribed by a sequence resource alone, for ease ofdescription.

“Resource information” relating to the set first or second RACH preambleresource candidate group is included in a broadcast signal and isbroadcasted to terminal 200 or terminal 300 via transmission section 104(that is, using a broadcast channel). The resource information relatingto the set first or second RACH preamble resource candidate group may beincluded in a control signal or a data signal and provided to terminal200 and terminal 300 (that is, using a control channel or a datachannel).

Reception section 102 receives RACH preambles transmitted from terminal200 and terminal 300. More specifically, reception section 102calculates a correlation between a received signal and a sequencereplica corresponding to an RACH preamble resource candidate to comparethe calculated correlation value and a predetermined threshold. Then, ifthe calculated correlation value is larger than the predeterminedthreshold, reception section 102 determines that reception section 102has received an RACH preamble in an RACH preamble resource correspondingto the sequence replica used for the calculation of the correlationvalue. Information relating to the RACH preamble resource from which theRACH preamble has been detected is output to control section 103.

Also, reception section 102 receives an uplink data signal transmittedfrom a transmission source terminal using an uplink data resourcespecified for the transmission source terminal by an RACH responsetransmitted from base station 100 to terminal 200 or terminal 300 thatis the transmission source terminal for the RACH preamble.

Control section 103 selects an RACH response transmission method. Inother words, when a resource in which an RACH preamble has been receivedis included in the first RACH preamble resource candidate group, controlsection 103 selects DMRS transmission (that is, a first transmissionmethod) as an RACH response transmission method. Also, when a resourcein which an RACH preamble has been received is included in the secondRACH preamble resource candidate group, control section 103 selects CRStransmission (that is, a second transmission method) as an RACH responsetransmission method.

Transmission section 104 transmits a control signal (for example, aPDCCH signal) and a data signal (for example, a PDSCH signal) indownlink.

For example, transmission section 104 transmits an RACH response usingthe transmission method selected by control section 103. Morespecifically, when control section 103 selects DMRS transmission,transmission section 104 transmits a DMRS together with an RACHresponse. In this case, the RACH response and the DMRS are transmittedin a same phase. In other words, the RACH response is transmitted usingan antenna port that is the same as that of the DMRS to be transmitted.For example, when a weighting is applied to antennae, the RACH responseand the DMRS are transmitted with same weighting applied to theantennae. Here, a transmission antenna port for DMRS is determined inadvance. For example, although in Rel. 10, transmission antenna portsfor DMRS can be ports 7 to 14, the transmission antenna port for DMRSfor RACH response is determined to be port 7. For transmission orreception quality measurement of another data signal, a CRS may betransmitted together with the RACH response and the DMRS. On the otherhand, when CRS transmission is selected by control section 103,transmission section 104 transmits a CRS together with an RACH response.In this case, the RACH response and the CRS are transmitted in a samephase. In other words, the RACH response is transmitted using an antennaport that is the same as that of the CRS to be transmitted. Here, in thecase of CRS transmission, no DMRS is transmitted together with a CRS ina resource block used for transmission of an RACH response.

Moreover, transmission section 104 transmits information relating to adata resource in which an RACH response is mapped, via a PDCCH. ThePDCCH signal is transmitted in a state in which the PDCCH signal hasbeen scrambled by an identifier common to all of terminals, calledRA-RNTI.

Transmission section 104 uses a transmission method that is the same asthe RACH response transmission method, also in Step 4 (transmission ofmessage 4) in an RACH procedure.

The term “antenna port” refers to a logical antenna including one ormore physical antennae. In other words, an antenna port does notnecessarily refer to one physical antenna, and may refer to, e.g., anarray antenna including a plurality of antennae. For example, in 3GPPLTE, the number of physical antennae included in an antenna port is notdefined and the antenna port is defined as the minimum unit for a basestation to transmit a different reference signal. Furthermore, theantenna port may be defined as the minimum unit for multiplication of aprecoding vector weighting.

[Configuration of Terminal 200]

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of terminal 200according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. In FIG. 5 ,terminal 200 includes reception section 201, control section 202 andtransmission section 203.

Reception section 201 receives a broadcast signal transmitted from basestation 100. The received broadcast signal contains resource informationrelating to the first RACH preamble resource candidate group or thesecond RACH preamble resource candidate group. Then, reception section201 outputs the received broadcast signal to control section 202.

Also, reception section 201 receives a PDCCH signal and an RACH responsetransmitted from base station 100. More specifically, reception section201 receives a PDCCH signal and receives an RACH response using areference signal (DMRS or CRS) specified by control section 202 in adata resource specified by the received PDCCH signal.

Control section 202 sets a transmission parameter to be used intransmission section 203 and a reception parameter to be used inreception section 201, based on the broadcast signal received fromreception section 201.

More specifically, when resource information relating to the first RACHpreamble resource candidate group is contained in the broadcast signal,control section 202 selects an RACH preamble resource from the firstRACH preamble resource candidate group. On the other hand, when noresource information relating to the first RACH preamble resourcecandidate group is contained in the broadcast signal, control section202 selects an RACH preamble resource from the second RACH preambleresource candidate group indicated by the resource information containedin the broadcast signal. Information relating to the selected RACHpreamble resource is output to transmission section 203.

Also, when resource information relating to the first RACH preambleresource candidate group is contained in the broadcast signal, controlsection 202 specifies a DMRS for reception section 201 as a referencesignal to be used for RACH response reception. On the other hand, whenno resource information relating to the first RACH preamble resourcecandidate group is contained in the broadcast signal, control section202 specifies a CRS for reception section 201 as a reference signal tobe used for RACH response reception.

Also, control section 202 outputs information relating to a dataresource specified by the PDCCH signal received by reception section 201to reception section 201.

Transmission section 203 transmits an RACH preamble using the RACHpreamble resource selected by control section 202.

[Operations of Base Station 100 and Terminal 200]

The operations of base station 100 and terminal 200 each having theabove-described configuration will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagramprovided for description of the operations of base station 100 andterminal 200. The below description will be described taking a casewhere 64 sequences are provided as RACH preamble resources, as anexample.

<Setting of RACH Preamble Resource Candidate Groups by Base Station 100>

In base station 100, setting section 101 sets a first RACH preambleresource candidate group that can be selected by terminal 200 that canreceive an RACH response transmitted by DMRS transmission. Also, settingsection 101 sets a second RACH preamble resource candidate group thatcan be selected by terminal 300 that cannot receive an RACH responsetransmitted by DMRS-used data transmission but can receive an RACHresponse transmitted by CRS transmission.

Resource information relating to the set first or second RACH preambleresource candidate group is included in a broadcast signal and isbroadcasted to terminal 200 or terminal 300 via transmission section104.

As illustrated in FIG. 6 , base station 100 broadcasts NcX, which is thenumber of resources for contention RACHs (RACHs involving contentionbetween a plurality of terminals), to terminal 300 as resourceinformation relating to the second RACH preamble resource candidategroup. Consequently, terminal 300 interprets RACH preamble resourcesother than those with RACH preamble resource numbers of 1 to NcX as RACHpreamble resources to be used for non-contention RACHs.

Also, base station 100 broadcasts NcY, which is the number of resourcesfor contention RACHs (RACHs involving contention between a plurality ofterminals), to terminal 200 as resource information relating to thefirst RACH preamble resource candidate group. Consequently, terminal 200interprets RACH preamble resources other than those having RACH preambleresource numbers of 1 to NcY as RACH preamble resources to be used fornon-contention RACHs. Also, terminal 200 interprets RACH preambleresources having RACH preamble resource numbers of NcX+1 to NcY as thefirst RACH preamble resource candidate group.

As described above, as a result of broadcasting NcY as resourceinformation relating to the first RACH preamble resource candidategroup, a broadcast method that is similar to that used for NcX in Rel. 8to Rel. 10 can be reused, and backward compatibility from Rel. 8 to Rel.10 can be maintained.

<Transmission of RACH Preamble by Terminal 200>

Terminal 200 selects an RACH preamble resource from the first RACHpreamble resource candidate group of RACH preamble resources having RACHpreamble resource numbers of NcX+1 to NcY, and transmits an RACHpreamble using the selected RACH preamble resource.

<Transmission of RACH Preamble by Terminal 300>

Terminal 300 selects an RACH preamble resource from the second RACHpreamble resource candidate group of RACH preamble resources having RACHpreamble resource numbers of Nc1 to NcX, and transmits an RACH preambleusing the selected RACH preamble resource.

<Selection of RACH Response Transmission Method and Transmission of RACHResponse by Base Station 100>

In base station 100, when a resource in which an RACH preamble has beenreceived is included in the first resource candidate group, controlsection 103 selects DMRS transmission (that is, a first transmissionmethod) as an RACH response transmission method. Also, when a resourcein which the RACH preamble has been received is included in the secondresource candidate group, control section 103 selects CRS transmission(that is, a second transmission method) as an RACH response transmissionmethod.

When DMRS transmission is selected by control section 103, transmissionsection 104 transmits a DMRS together with an RACH response. On theother hand, when CRS transmission is selected by control section 103,transmission section 104 transmits a CRS together with an RACH response.

<Reception of PDCCH Signal and RACH Response by Terminal 200>

When resource information relating to the first RACH preamble resourcecandidate group is contained in a broadcast signal, control section 202specifies a DMRS for reception section 201 as a reference signal to beused for RACH response reception. On the other hand, when no resourceinformation relating to the first RACH preamble resource candidate groupis contained in a broadcast signal, control section 202 specifies a CRSfor reception section 201 as a reference signal to be used for RACHresponse reception.

Also, control section 202 outputs information relating to a dataresource specified by a PDCCH signal received by reception section 201to reception section 201. Here, the PDCCH signal is one scrambled inbase station 100 based on an RA-RNTI that depends on the subframe usedfor transmission of an RACH preamble. Thus, reception section 201descrambles the PDCCH signal based on the RA-RNTI to receive the PDCCHsignal.

Reception section 201 receives an RACH response in the data resourcespecified by the received PDCCH signal, using the reference signal (DMRSor CRS) specified by control section 202.

Here, when no information of NcY is provided to terminal 200, terminal200 assumes that a connection destination base station is a conventionalbase station, and transmits an RACH preamble using an RACH preambleresource selected from the second RACH preamble resource candidate groupof RACH preamble resources having RACH preamble resource numbers of Nc1to NcX. Also, in this case, terminal 200 receives an RACH response usinga CRS.

In any transmission after RACH response transmission until setting of atransmission mode for terminal 200 (for example, transmission of message4), also, base station 100 transmits a PDSCH to terminal 200 by DMRStransmission, and terminal 200 demodulates the PDSCH using a DMRS. Here,a port for transmission of the DMRS may be previously determined as, forexample, port 7 or indication of such port may be provided via thePDCCH. Then, after setting of a transmission mode for terminal 200,transmission of a PDSCH according to the transmission mode is performed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in base station100, setting section 101 sets a first RACH preamble resource candidategroup that can be selected by terminal 200 that can receive an RACHresponse transmitted by DMRS transmission. Also, setting section 101sets a second RACH preamble resource candidate group that can beselected by terminal 300 that cannot receive an RACH responsetransmitted by DMRS transmission but can receive an RACH responsetransmitted by CRS transmission. Then, when the resource in which anRACH preamble has been received is included in the first RACH preambleresource candidate group, control section 103 selects DMRS transmissionas an RACH response transmission method. Also, when the resource inwhich the RACH preamble has been received is included in the second RACHpreamble resource candidate group, control section 103 selects CRStransmission as an RACH response transmission method.

Consequently, base station 100 can determine, based on the resource inwhich the RACH preamble has been detected, whether or not a terminalthat is the transmission source of the RACH preamble is a terminal thatcan receive an RACH response transmitted by DMRS transmission. Thus, itis possible to efficiently transmit an RACH response directed to aterminal that supports DMRS-used RACH response reception, by DMRStransmission, to a terminal that can receive an RACH responsetransmitted by DMRS transmission.

Then, DMRS transmission enables transmission of an RACH response usingan MBSFN subframe, which enables prevention of a reduction in theresource capacities of non-MBSFN subframes, and as a result, the systemcapacity can increase. Furthermore, no RACH response is transmitted toterminal 300 by DMRS transmission, which enables prevention of anincrease in the number of RACH preamble retransmissions to terminal 300.

Also, in a heterogeneous network environment in which a cell ID that isthe same as that of an HPN is used for a plurality of LPNs in amacrocell, it is possible to efficiently transmit an RACH response to aterminal that can receive an RACH response transmitted by DMRStransmission only from a transmission point close to a position wherethe terminal is located. For example, a base station transmits an RACHresponse only from a transmission point at which received power of theRACH preamble is high.

Also, in a system operation using extension carrier, it is possible toefficiently transmit an RACH response using an extension carrier by DMRStransmission to a terminal that can receive an RACH response transmittedby DMRS transmission. Also, the congestion of backward compatiblecarriers can be reduced.

In base station 100, control section 103 may include, in one RACHresponse, a plurality of response messages respectively for a pluralityof RACH preambles received during a same processing period using RACHpreamble resources in the first RACH preamble resource candidate groupand transmit the RACH response by DMRS transmission. Also, controlsection 103 may include, in one RACH response, a plurality of responsemessages for a plurality of RACH preambles received during a sameprocessing period using RACH preamble resources included in the secondRACH preamble resource candidate group and transmit the RACH response byCRS transmission.

Embodiment 2

In Embodiment 2, in the case where a resource in which an RACH preamblehas been received is included in a first RACH preamble resourcecandidate group, DMRS transmission is selected only when a subframe inwhich an RACH response is transmitted is an “MBSFN subframe.” On theother hand, when a subframe in which an RACH response is transmitted isa “non-MBSFN subframe,” CRS transmission is selected. Here, “MBSFNsubframe” is a subframe in which a CRS cannot be mapped but a DMRS canbe mapped in a resource region other than a head portion of thesubframe. “Non-MB SFN subframe” is a subframe in which a DMRS and a CRScan be mapped in a resource region other than a head portion of thesubframe. Here, a base station and a terminal according to Embodiment 2are similar to base station 100 and terminal 200 according to Embodiment1, and thus, a description will be provided below with reference toFIGS. 4 and 5 .

In base station 100 in Embodiment 2, in the case where a resource inwhich an RACH preamble has been received is included in the first RACHpreamble resource candidate group, control section 103 selects DMRStransmission only when a subframe in which an RACH response istransmitted is an “MBSFN subframe.” On the other hand, when a subframein which an RACH response is transmitted is a “non-MBSFN subframe,”control section 103 selects CRS transmission.

Also, in the case where a resource in which an RACH preamble has beenreceived is included in a second RACH preamble resource candidate group,control section 103 selects CRS transmission only in the case of a“non-MBSFN subframe.” In other words, in the case where a resource inwhich an RACH preamble has been received is included in the second RACHpreamble resource candidate group, no RACH response is transmitted inthe case of an “MBSFN subframe.”

Transmission section 104 includes a plurality of response messages for aplurality of RACH preambles in one RACH response and transmits the RACHresponse. The plurality of response messages included in one RACHresponse correspond to a plurality of RACH preambles received during asame processing period.

More specifically, when a subframe in which an RACH response istransmitted is an “MBSFN subframe,” control section 103 includes, in oneRACH response, a plurality of response messages for a plurality of RACHpreambles transmitted using RACH preamble resources included in thefirst RACH preamble resource candidate group. Then, control section 103transmits the RACH response by DMRS transmission. On the other hand,when a subframe in which an RACH response is transmitted is a “non-MBSFNsubframe,” control section 103 includes a plurality of response messagesfor a plurality of RACH preambles in one RACH response regardless ofwhether the RACH preamble resource used for transmission is included inthe first RACH preamble resource candidate group or the second RACHpreamble resource candidate group. Then, control section 103 transmitsthe RACH response by CRS transmission.

When resource information relating to the first RACH preamble resourcecandidate group is contained in a broadcast signal, and also when asubframe in which an RACH response is received is an “MBSFN subframe,”control section 202 in terminal 200 specifies a DMRS for receptionsection 201 as a reference signal to be used for RACH responsereception. On the other hand, when resource information relating to thefirst RACH preamble resource candidate group is contained in a broadcastsignal, and also when a subframe in which an RACH response is receivedis a “non-MBSFN subframe,” control section 202 specifies a CRS forreception section 201 as a reference signal to be used for RACH responsereception.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in base station100, when a resource in which an RACH preamble has been received isincluded in the first RACH preamble resource candidate group, controlsection 103 selects DMRS transmission only when a subframe in which aresponse signal is transmitted is a first subframe (MBSFN subframe) inwhich no CRS can be mapped but a DMRS can be mapped in a resource regionother than a head portion of the subframe. Meanwhile, control section103 selects CRS transmission when a subframe in which a response signalis transmitted is a second subframe (non-MBSFN subframe) in which a DMRSand a CRS can be mapped in a resource region other than a head portionof the subframe.

Consequently, in an MBSFN subframe, an RACH response can be transmittedby DMRS, which enables prevention of a reduction in the resourcecapacities of the non-MBSFN subframes, and as a result, the systemcapacity can be increased. Also, terminal 200 only needs to receive aresponse signal using a CRS in a non-MBSFN subframe, which enablessimplification of control.

Moreover, when a subframe in which an RACH response is transmitted is anon-MBSFN subframe, control section 103 includes a plurality of responsemessages for a plurality of RACH preambles in one RACH responseregardless of whether an RACH preamble resource used for transmission isincluded in the first RACH preamble resource candidate group or thesecond RACH preamble resource candidate group. Then, control section 103transmits the RACH response by CRS transmission.

Consequently, in particular, when there are many terminals 300, PDCCHand PDSCH congestion can be reduced. This is because, when there aremany terminals 300, the following overhead reduction effect is largerthan the effect of transmission efficiency enhancement that can beobtained by transmitting an RACH response to terminal 200 by DMRStransmission separately from terminal 300. In other words, in this case,an effect of reduction of overhead for PDCCH or CRC is larger than theaforementioned effect of transmission efficiency enhancement that can beobtained by including a plurality of response messages respectively forterminal 200 and terminal 300 in one RACH response and transmitting theRACH response.

Base station 100 may indicate to terminal 200 whether CRS transmissionor DMRS transmission is selected for a non-MBSFN subframe, via a PDCCH.In this case, terminal 200 receives an RACH response according to thisindication. Consequently, base station 100 can select whether responsemessages to terminal 200 and terminal 300 are collected in one RACHresponse and transmitted by CRS transmission or a response message toterminal 200 is transmitted by DMRS transmission independently from aresponse message to terminal 300 in a non-MBSFN subframe, according to,e.g., the degree of congestion of PDCCH or PDSCH.

The above description has been provided taking an MBSFN subframe andnon-MBSFN subframe as examples. However, the present disclosure is notlimited to these examples, and when a resource in which an RACH preamblehas been received is included in the first RACH preamble resourcecandidate group, it is possible to select DMRS transmission for one oftwo other types of subframes and CRS transmission for the other one ofthe two other types of subframes.

Embodiment 3

In Embodiment 3, a third RACH preamble resource candidate group in afirst RACH preamble resource candidate group is set for a first preambletransmission apparatus having a propagation attenuation value(hereinafter may be referred to as “path loss”) between a base stationand the terminal is larger than a threshold. Also, in Embodiment 3, afourth RACH preamble resource candidate group, which is not included inthe third RACH preamble resource candidate group in the first RACHpreamble resource candidate group, is set for a first preambletransmission apparatus having a propagation attenuation value between abase station and the terminal is smaller than the threshold. Here, thebase station and the terminal according to Embodiment 3 are similar tobase station 100 and terminal 200 according to Embodiment 1, and thus, adescription will be provided with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 .

In base station 100 in Embodiment 3, setting section 101 sets athreshold (Thp). The threshold (Thp) is used as a selection criterionfor an RACH preamble resource candidate group.

Also, setting section 101 sets the transmission power of a CRS to betransmitted from base station 100.

Resource information relating to a plurality of RACH preamble resourcecandidate groups prescribed in a transmission method determinationtable, information relating to set threshold (Thp) and informationrelating to CRS transmission power are included in a broadcast signaland are broadcasted to terminal 200 or terminal 300 via transmissionsection 104 (that is, using a broadcast channel). The resourceinformation relating to the plurality of RACH preamble resourcecandidate groups prescribed in the transmission method determinationtable, the information relating to set threshold (Thp) and theinformation relating to transmission power may be included in a controlsignal or a data signal and indicated to terminal 200 or terminal 300(that is, using a control channel or a data channel).

Control section 103 selects an RACH response transmission method basedon a resource in which an RACH preamble has been received and thetransmission method determination table.

More specifically, in the transmission method determination table, theplurality of RACH preamble resource candidate groups are prescribed, acombination of DMRS transmission or CRS transmission and at least one oftransmission power and a code rate is associated with each of the RACHpreamble resource candidate groups. Then, control section 103 selects acombination associated with an RACH preamble resource candidate groupincluding the resource in which the RACH preamble has been received, asa transmission method.

Transmission section 104 transmits an RACH response using thetransmission method selected by control section 103.

In terminal 200 in Embodiment 3, reception section 201 receives thebroadcast signal transmitted from base station 100. The receivedbroadcast signal contains the resource information relating to theplurality of RACH preamble resource candidate groups prescribed in thetransmission method determination table, the information relating tothreshold (Thp) and the information relating to the transmission power.Then, reception section 201 outputs the received broadcast signal tocontrol section 202.

Also, reception section 201 measures received power of the CRStransmitted from base station 100 and outputs a value of the measurementto control section 202.

Control section 202 calculates a propagation attenuation amount betweenbase station 100 and terminal 200 based on the received CRS power valuemeasured by reception section 201 and the CRS transmission power valuefrom base station 100.

Then, control section 202 sets a transmission parameter to be used intransmission section 203 and a reception parameter to be used inreception section 201, based on the broadcast signal, an RACH preambleresource candidate group determination table and the propagationattenuation amount calculated by control section 202.

For example, control section 202 selects an RACH preamble resourcecandidate group to be used by terminal 200, based on the broadcastsignal, the RACH preamble resource candidate group determination tableand the propagation attenuation amount calculated by control section202. The RACH preamble resource candidate group determination table isthe same as the transmission method determination table in base station100.

More specifically, in the RACH preamble resource candidate groupdetermination table, a plurality of RACH preamble resource candidategroups are prescribed, a combination of DMRS transmission or CRStransmission and at least one of transmission power and a code rate isassociated with each of the RACH preamble resource candidate groups.Also, a magnitude relationship between a propagation attenuation amountand threshold (Thp) is associated with each RACH preamble resourcecandidate group.

The operations of base station 100 and terminal 200 each having theabove configuration will be described. The below description will beprovided taking two transmission method determination tables (or RACHpreamble resource candidate group determination tables) as examples.

Table Example 1

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a transmissionmethod determination table. In the table illustrated in FIG. 7 , thefirst RACH preamble resource candidate group is divided into two groupsthat are group 1A and group 1B. Also, the second RACH preamble resourcecandidate group is also divided into two groups that are group 2A andgroup 2B.

<Setting of RACH Preamble Resource Candidate Groups by Base Station 100>

In base station 100, setting section 101 sets four RACH preambleresource candidate groups corresponding respectively to groups 1A, 1B,2A and 2B. Here, in addition to NcX and NcY, which are broadcasted inEmbodiment 1, NcY_pl indicating a boundary between group 1A and group 1Band NcX_pl indicating a boundary between group 2A and group 2B arebroadcasted. Consequently, terminal 200 can identify group 1A, group 1B,group 2A and group 2B.

<Transmission of RACH Preamble by Terminal 200>

Terminal 200 selects an RACH preamble resource candidate group to beused in terminal 200, based on the RACH preamble resource candidategroup determination table and a propagation attenuation amountcalculated by control section 202.

More specifically, when the calculated propagation attenuation amount isequal to or larger than threshold Thp, terminal 200 selects group 1A asan RACH preamble resource candidate group to be used in terminal 200. Onthe other hand, when the calculated propagation attenuation amount issmaller than threshold Thp, terminal 200 selects group 1B as an RACHpreamble resource candidate group to be used in terminal 200.

<Selection of RACH Response Transmission Method by Base Station 100 andRACH Response Transmission>

When a resource in which an RACH preamble has been received is includedin group 1A, base station 100 selects a combination of DMRStransmission, large transmission power and a low code rate, as an RACHresponse transmission method. This is because, when a resource in whichan RACH preamble has been received is included in group 1A, it can bedetermined that the terminal that is the transmission source of the RACHpreamble is a terminal that supports DMRS transmission and is also aterminal having a large propagation attenuation amount (that is, a poorcommunication quality). Also, the amount of resources allocated foruplink data transmission may be increased.

Meanwhile, when a resource in which an RACH preamble has been receivedis included in group 1B, base station 100 selects a combination of DMRStransmission, small transmission power and a high code rate as an RACHresponse transmission method. This is because, when a resource in whichan RACH preamble has been received is included in group 1B, it can bedetermined that the terminal that is the transmission source of the RACHpreamble is a terminal that supports DMRS transmission and also is aterminal having a small propagation attenuation amount (that is, a goodcommunication quality). Also, the amount of resources allocated foruplink data transmission may be decreased.

Also, when a resource in which an RACH preamble has been received isincluded in group 2A, base station 100 selects a combination of CRStransmission, large transmission power and a low code rate as an RACHresponse transmission method.

When a resource in which an RACH preamble has been received is includedin group 2B, base station 100 selects a combination of CRS transmission,small transmission power and a high code rate as an RACH responsetransmission method.

As described above, as a result of the first RACH preamble resourcecandidate group and the second RACH preamble resource candidate groupare further divided into groups based on the propagation attenuationamounts, base station 100 can recognize a propagation channel state ofthe terminal that is the transmission source of an RACH preamble.Consequently, base station 100 can transmit an RACH response withnecessary and sufficient transmission power. Also, base station 100 canallocate a necessary and sufficient uplink resource, allowing terminal200 to efficiently transmit uplink data.

Table Example 2

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a transmissionmethod determination table. In the table illustrated in FIG. 8 , asecond RACH preamble resource candidate group is also divided into twogroups that are group 2A and group 2B. However, the first RACH preambleresource candidate group is not divided and is indicated as group 1.

<Setting of RACH Preamble Resource Candidate Groups by Base Station 100>

In base station 100, setting section 101 sets three RACH preambleresource candidate groups corresponding respectively to groups 1, 2A and2B. Here, as illustrated in FIG. 9 , in addition to NcX and NcY, whichare broadcasted in Embodiment 1, NcX_pl indicating a boundary betweengroup 2A and group 2B is broadcasted. Consequently, terminal 200 canidentify group 1, group 2A and group 2B. In other words, terminal 200interprets, for example, RACH preamble resources having RACH preambleresource numbers of 1 to NcX_pl as group 2A, and RACH preamble resourceshaving RACH preamble resource numbers of NcX_pl+1 to NcY as group 2B.

<Transmission of RACH Preamble by Terminal 200>

When a propagation attenuation amount calculated in control section 202is smaller than threshold Thp, terminal 200 selects an RACH preambleresource from group 1 of RACH preamble resources having RACH preambleresource numbers of NcX+1 to NcY and transmits an RACH preamble usingthe selected RACH preamble resource.

On the other hand, when a propagation attenuation amount calculated incontrol section 202 is equal to or larger than threshold Thp, terminal200 selects an RACH preamble resource from group 2A of RACH preambleresources having RACH preamble resource numbers of 1 to NcX_pl, andtransmits an RACH preamble using the selected RACH preamble resource. Inother words, an RACH preamble resource candidate group to be used when apropagation attenuation amount calculated in control section 202 isequal to or larger than threshold Thp is common to terminal 200 andterminal 300.

<Selection of RACH Response Transmission Method by Base Station 100 andTransmission of RACH Response>

When a resource in which an RACH preamble has been received is includedin group 1, base station 100 selects a combination of DMRS transmission,large transmission power and a low code rate as an RACH responsetransmission method. This is because, when a resource in which an RACHpreamble has been received is included in group 1, it can be determinedthat the terminal that is the transmission source of the RACH preambleis a terminal that supports DMRS transmission and also is a terminalhaving a large propagation attenuation amount (that is, a poorcommunication quality). Also, the amount of resources to be allocatedfor uplink data transmission may be increased.

When a resource in which an RACH preamble has been received is includedin group 2A, base station 100 selects a combination of CRS transmission,large transmission power and a low code rate as an RACH responsetransmission method.

When a resource in which an RACH preamble has been received is includedin group 2B, base station 100 selects a combination of CRS transmission,small transmission power and a high code rate as an RACH responsetransmission method.

Here, in table example 1, division into finer groups is performed. Thus,the resource amount per group becomes small, so that the probabilitythat RACH preamble resources are concentrated in a particular groupbecomes high, and as a result, the probability of a collision betweenRACH preambles becomes high. On the other hand, in table example 2,there is one group to be assigned only to terminal 200, enabling areduction in the probability of a collision between RACH preambles.Also, in a CoMP operation using a same cell ID, it is appropriate totransmit an RACH response via all transmission points by CRStransmission to terminal 200 having a lower reception quality (forexample, terminal 200 located in the vicinity of a cell boundary), andthus the advantage of high efficiency provided by DMRS transmission issmall. Thus, for terminal 200 having a large propagation attenuationamount, transmission of an RACH response by CRS transmission does notcause inefficiency.

In Rel. 8 to Rel. 10, RACH preamble resource groups are set according touplink transmission data amounts. Although in the above description,division into groups is performed according to propagation attenuationamounts also for terminal 300, the present disclosure is not limited tothis case, and further division into groups may be performed accordingto transmission data amounts. Consequently, the amount of resources tobe allocated for uplink can properly be controlled according to a groupincluding a detected RACH preamble, which enables uplink data to beefficiently transmitted with a necessary and sufficient resource.

Although the above description has been provided taking propagationattenuation amount as an example, the present disclosure is not limitedto this case, and, e.g., received power, SIR or SINR may be used.

Embodiment 4

In Embodiment 1, DMRS transmission or CRS transmission is selected as anRACH response transmission method according to an RACH preamble resourcecandidate group including a resource in which an RACH preamble has beenreceived. On the other hand, in Embodiment 4, a first RACH preambleresource candidate group to be assigned to a first terminal group and asecond RACH preamble resource candidate group to be assigned to a secondterminal group are set. In addition, in Embodiment 4, differentretransmission determination periods are set for the first terminalgroup and the second terminal group. Also, in Embodiment 4, the RACHresponse transmission timing is adjusted according to an RACH preambleresource candidate group including a resource in which an RACH preamblehas been received.

[Configuration of Base Station 400]

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of base station400 according to Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure. In FIG. 10 ,base station 400 includes setting section 401, reception section 402,control section 403 and transmission section 404.

Setting section 401 sets a first RACH preamble resource candidate groupto be used by a first terminal group, and a second RACH preambleresource candidate group to be used by a second terminal group.“Resource information” relating to the set first or second RACH preambleresource candidate group is included in a broadcast signal and isbroadcasted to terminal 500 via transmission section 404 (that is, usinga broadcast channel).

Also, setting section 401 sets a first retransmission determinationperiod to be used by the first terminal group and a secondretransmission determination period to be used by the second terminalgroup. Period information relating to the set first and secondretransmission determination periods is included in the broadcast signaland is broadcasted to terminal 500 via transmission section 404 (thatis, using the broadcast channel). The first retransmission determinationperiod is shorter than the second retransmission determination period.Here, a retransmission determination period is a time window. The sizeof time window may be referred to as a window size (RRC parameter:ra-ResponseWindow Size).

Reception section 402 receives an RACH preamble transmitted fromterminal 500.

Control section 403 selects an RACH response transmission method. Inother words, when a resource in which the RACH preamble has beenreceived is included in the first RACH preamble resource candidategroup, control section 403 selects a first transmission timing as anRACH response transmission method. Also, when a resource in which theRACH preamble has been received is included in the second RACH preambleresource candidate group, control section 403 selects a secondtransmission timing as an RACH response transmission method. Here, thefirst transmission timing is included in a period that starts threesubframes following a subframe in which the RACH preamble has beendetected and has a width of a first window size. Also, the secondtransmission timing is a period that starts three subframes following asubframe in which the RACH preamble has been detected and has a width ofa second window size, but is not included in the period that startsthree subframes following a subframe in which the RACH preamble has beendetected and has a width of the first window size. In other words, thefirst transmission timing is a timing according to the firstretransmission determination period, and the second transmission timingis a timing according to the second retransmission determination period.Here, the first retransmission determination period is shorter than thesecond retransmission determination period.

Transmission section 404 transmits an RACH response using thetransmission method (that is, the transmission timing) selected bycontrol section 403. Also, transmission section 404 transmitsinformation relating to a data resource in which the RACH response ismapped, via a PDCCH.

[Configuration of Terminal 500]

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of terminal 500according to Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure. In FIG. 11 ,terminal 500 includes reception section 501, control section 502 andtransmission section 503.

Reception section 501 receives a broadcast signal transmitted from basestation 400. The received broadcast signal includes the resourceinformation relating to the first RACH preamble resource candidate groupor the second RACH preamble resource candidate group. Also, the receivedbroadcast signal includes the period information relating to the setfirst and second retransmission determination periods. Then, receptionsection 501 outputs the received broadcast signal to control section502.

Reception section 501 performs reception processing for receiving anRACH response transmitted from base station 400 in a retransmissiondetermination period specified by control section 502.

When terminal 500 belongs to the first terminal group, control section502 selects an RACH preamble resource from the first RACH preambleresource candidate group. On the other hand, if terminal 500 belongs tothe second terminal group, control section 502 selects an RACH preambleresource from the second RACH preamble resource candidate group.Information relating to the selected RACH preamble resource is output totransmission section 503.

When terminal 500 belongs to the first terminal group, control section502 specifies the first retransmission determination period forreception section 501. On the other hand, when terminal 500 belongs tothe second terminal group, control section 502 specifies the secondretransmission determination period for reception section 501. Here, thefirst retransmission determination period is a period that starts threesubframes following a subframe in which the RACH preamble has beentransmitted and has a width of the first window size. On the other hand,the second retransmission determination period is a period that startsthree subframes following the subframe in which the RACH preamble hasbeen transmitted and has a width of the second window size.

Transmission section 503 transmits an RACH preamble using the RACHpreamble resource selected by control section 502.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in base station400, setting section 401 sets a first RACH preamble resource candidategroup to be used by a first terminal group and a second RACH preambleresource candidate group to be used by a second terminal group. Also,setting section 401 sets a first retransmission determination period tobe used by the first terminal group and a second retransmissiondetermination period to be used by the second terminal group. The firstretransmission determination period is shorter than the secondretransmission determination period. Then, when a resource in which anRACH preamble has been received is included in the first RACH preambleresource candidate group, control section 403 selects a firsttransmission timing as an RACH response transmission method. On theother hand, when a resource in which an RACH preamble has been receivedis included in the second RACH preamble resource candidate group,control section 403 selects a second transmission timing as an RACHresponse transmission method. Here, the first retransmissiondetermination period is shorter than the second retransmissiondetermination period.

Although the above description has been provided on the premise that aretransmission determination period is a time window, the presentdisclosure is not limited to this case, and a retransmissiondetermination period may be a sum of a time window and backoff time (seeFIG. 12 ).

Furthermore, Embodiment 4 may be combined with any of Embodiments 1 to3. For example, if Embodiments 1 and 4 are combined, in base station100, setting section 101 sets a first RACH preamble resource candidategroup that can be selected by terminal 200 that can receive an RACHresponse transmitted by DMRS-used data transmission (hereinafter may bereferred to as “DMRS transmission”). In addition, setting section 101sets a second RACH preamble resource candidate group that can beselected by terminal 300 that cannot receive an RACH responsetransmitted by DMRS-used data transmission but can receive an RACHresponse transmitted by CRS-used data transmission (hereinafter may bereferred to as “CRS transmission”). Also, setting section 101 sets afirst retransmission determination period to be used by terminal 200 anda second retransmission determination period to be used by terminal 300.Then, when a resource in which an RACH preamble has been received isincluded in the first RACH preamble resource candidate group, controlsection 103 selects a first transmission timing and DMRS transmission asan RACH response transmission method. In addition, when a resource inwhich an RACH preamble has been received is included in the second RACHpreamble resource candidate group, control section 103 selects a secondtransmission timing and CRS transmission as an RACH responsetransmission method. Then, in terminal 200, when resource informationrelating to the first RACH preamble resource candidate group is includedin a broadcast signal, control section 202 specifies a DMRS forreception section 201 as a reference signal to be used for RACH responsereception, and also specifies the first retransmission determinationperiod. On the other hand, when no resource information relating to thefirst RACH preamble resource candidate group is included in a broadcastsignal, control section 202 specifies a CRS for reception section 201 asa reference signal to be used for RACH response reception, and alsospecifies the second retransmission determination period.

As described above, base station 100 sets a window size for terminal200, the window size being different from that of terminal 300,providing the following effects. When many MBSFN subframes are set in aframe (for example, FIG. 2 ), terminal 300 cannot receive an RACHresponse via an MBSFN subframe, requiring a long window size. Meanwhile,terminal 200 can receive an RACH response via an MBSFN subframe. Thus, ashort window size is set for terminal 200 separately from terminal 300,which enables a reduction in time to RACH retransmission. Accordingly,delay in completion of an RACH procedure can be reduced. When no RACHresponse is detected in a window, backoff time, which is delay time toretransmission, may be set. In this case, first backoff time forterminal 200 and second backoff time for terminal 300 may be differentfrom each other. In this case, the first backoff time may be shorterthan the second backoff time. This is because, since there are manyresources (subframes and component carriers) that can be used totransmit an RACH response to terminal 200, even if RACHs are frequentlytransmitted, a sufficient capacity for RACH responses remains. Asopposed to the above, the first backoff time may be longer than thesecond backoff time. This is because, since the second time window isset to be longer than the first time window, setting the second backofftime to be short enables a reduction in delay of terminal 300.

Other Embodiments

[1] NcX indicating an RACH preamble resource candidate group in theabove embodiments may be numberOfRA-Preambles, which is an RRC parameterin Rel. 10.

[2] In each of the above embodiments, an RACH response to terminal 200(or terminal 500) may be transmitted via, for example, a control channelto be transmitted by DMRS transmission (for example, an E-PDCCH to betransmitted using a data resource). In this case, a control channel isefficiently transmitted using a DMRS.

[3] Although each of the above embodiments has been described taking anRACH as an example, a PUSCH (or PUCCH) may be employed in the case of acontention-based transmission method. For example, while a terminal thatdoes not support DMRS reception uses an RACH, a terminal that supportsDMRS reception uses a contention PUSCH (or PUCCH). Also, PUSCH resourcesmay be divided into a group of resources for terminals that do notsupport DMRS reception and a group of resources for terminals thatsupport DMRS reception.

[4] In each of the above embodiments, when an RACH response message istransmitted by DMRS transmission, for example, one particular antennaport (for example, antenna port 7) may be used or a plurality of antennaports may be used (for example, transmission diversity may be employed).Also, an antenna port to be used may be indicated (or broadcasted) to aterminal.

[5] A first resource group and a second resource group for RACHpreambles may be used differently as follows.

(1) At the time of transmission of an RACH preamble for transition froman idle state to a connected state, the second resource group is used,and the first resource group is used for cases other than the above.Consequently, in the case of transition from an idle state, fairconnection chances can be provided to users regardless of performance ofterminals.

(2) A terminal that can receive an RACH response via an extensioncarrier uses the first resource group. Consequently, a base station cantransmit an RACH response to an extension carrier, enabling congestionof normal component carriers to be avoided.

(3) In CoMP, when a terminal is located in the vicinity of atransmission point (e.g., RRH (remote radio head)), the terminal usesthe first resource group, and uses the second resource group in casesother than this case. The terminal determines whether or not theterminal is located in the vicinity of a transmission point, based on,e.g., results of measurement of received power of a CSI-RS fromrespective transmission points. Consequently, all RRHs including a macrobase station transmits an RACH response by CRS transmission to terminalsthat are distant from a transmission point, and can transmit an RACHresponse by DMRS transmission only to terminals located in the vicinityof transmission points. As a result, a more robust and efficientoperation can be achieved.

Furthermore, different RACH preamble resource candidate groups can beprovided for respective transmission points. In this case, a terminalcan inform the network of a transmission point in the vicinity of whichthe terminal is located. As a result, a base station can easily select atransmission point to be used for each terminal.

[6] In Embodiment 4, any of the following parameters can separately beset for a terminal that can receive an RACH response transmitted by DMRStransmission, in addition to window size.

-   -   (1) mac-ContentionResolutionTimer:        -   This parameter indicates time for waiting message 4 from            transmission of message 3. For Rel. 11, short time is set in            a timer because there are many resources that can be used            for message 4.    -   (2) maxHARQ-Msg3 Tx:        -   This parameter indicates a maximum message 3 retransmission            count (1 to 8). Since RACH preamble resources for DMRS are            used by terminals in the vicinity of RRHs, a small            retransmission count is set for the RACH preamble resources.    -   (3) powerRampingStep:        -   The parameter indicates a power increase amount (0, 2, 4 or            6 dB) for every RACH preamble retransmission. Since RACH            resources for DMRS are used by terminals in the vicinity of            RRHs, interference with other cells is small. Thus, in order            for a base station to receive an RACH preamble earlier, a            large increment is set.    -   (4) preambleInitialReceivedTargetPower:        -   This parameter indicates a target value of received power of            an RACH preamble (−120 to −90 dBm). Since RACH resources for            DMRS are used by terminals in the vicinity of RRHs,            interference with other cells is small. Thus, in order for a            base station to receive an RACH preamble earlier, a high            target value is set.    -   (5) preamble TransMax:        -   This parameter indicates a maximum RACH preamble            retransmission count (3 to 200). Since a DMRS is used in an            MBSFN subframe or an extension carrier, there are many            resources for RACH responses for DMRS. Thus, since there is            no problem even if RACH preambles are frequently            transmitted, a large maximum retransmission count is set.

[7] In each of the above embodiments, different RA-RNTIs may be used forterminals that can receive an RACH response transmitted by DMRStransmission and terminals other than such terminals. Also, differentE-PDCCHs may be used for terminals that can receive an RACH responsetransmitted by DMRS transmission and terminals other than suchterminals. Consequently, it is possible to differentiate between PDCCHsfor assigning a PDSCH, via which an RACH response message istransmitted, for the terminals that can receive an RACH responsetransmitted by DMRS transmission and terminals other than suchterminals.

[8] Although in Embodiment 1, in terminal 200, the RACH preambleresources having RACH preamble resource numbers of NcX+1 to NcY isinterpreted as the first RACH preamble resource candidate group, theRACH preamble resources having RACH preamble resource numbers of 1 toNcX may be interpreted as the first RACH preamble resource candidategroup. In this case, different selection probabilities may be set forthe RACH preamble resources of NcX+1 to NcY and the RACH preambleresource of 1 to NcX so as to select resources of NcX+1 to NcY that canbe selected by terminal 200, with a high probability.

Also, in the case where a terminal is an RRC connected state (or anactive state) such as at the time of handover, base station 100 canexplicitly specify an RACH preamble resource, and in this case, an RS tobe used for RACH response transmission can be changed depending on whichRACH preamble resource base station 100 specifies from among the RACHpreamble resources of 1 to NcX and the resources of NcX+1 to NcY. Forexample, in the case where there are many terminals compliant with Rel.8 to Rel. 10, resources of 1 to NcX are specified and an RACH responseis transmitted by CRS transmission, whereby a plurality of RACHresponses for a plurality of terminals are collectively transmitted.Alternatively, in a CoMP operation using a same cell ID, the resourcesof NcX+1 to NcY are specified for a terminal located in the vicinity ofa particular transmission point and an RACH response can be transmittedby DMRS transmission only via the particular transmission point.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of a radio communication method. The radiocommunication method comprises: setting a first resource candidate groupselectable by a first terminal allowed to receive a random accessresponse transmitted by a demodulation reference signal (DMRS)-used datatransmission (S 10); setting a second resource candidate groupselectable by a second terminal allowed to receive the random accessresponse transmitted by a cell specific reference signal (CRS)-used datatransmission (S 12); indicating, to the first terminal and the secondterminal, information relating to the set first resource candidate groupand the set second resource candidate group using a control signal (S14); and receiving, from the first terminal and the second terminal, arandom access preamble using one of the first resource candidate groupand the second resource candidate group (S 16), wherein when thereceived random access preamble is included in the first resourcecandidate group, the random access response is transmitted using acontrol channel in which the DMRS is transmitted; and when the receivedrandom access preamble is included in the second resource candidategroup, the random access response is transmitted using a control channelin which the CRS is transmitted.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram of a radio communication method. The radiocommunication method comprises: receiving broadcast informationincluding resource information indicative of a first resource groupwherein the first resource group includes at least two resourcesub-groups respectively associated with corresponding threshold valuesof path loss between the radio communication terminal and a base station(S18), selecting one of the at least two resource sub-groups based on ameasured value of the path loss and the corresponding threshold value(S20), transmitting a random access preamble using the selected resourcesub-group (S22), and receiving a random access response using aDemodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) (S24).

[9] In the above embodiments, an extension carrier may be called a newcarrier type. Also, an extension carrier has no downlink control channeltransmission region, and may be prescribed as a carrier via which noneof a PDCCH, a PHICH (physical hybrid-ARQ indicator channel: downlinkACK/NACK channel) and a PCFICH (physical control format indicatorchannel) is transmitted.

[10] In the foregoing embodiments, the present disclosure is configuredwith hardware by way of example, but the disclosure may also be providedby software in concert with hardware.

In addition, the functional blocks used in the descriptions of theembodiments are typically implemented as LSI devices, which areintegrated circuits. The functional blocks may be formed as individualchips, or a part or all of the functional blocks may be integrated intoa single chip. The term “LSI” is used herein, but the terms “IC,”“system LSI,” “super LSI” or “ultra LSI” may be used as well dependingon the level of integration.

In addition, the circuit integration is not limited to LSI and may beachieved by dedicated circuitry or a general-purpose processor otherthan an LSI. After fabrication of LSI, a field programmable gate array(FPGA), which is programmable, or a reconfigurable processor whichallows reconfiguration of connections and settings of circuit cells inLSI may be used.

Should a circuit integration technology replacing LSI appear as a resultof advancements in semiconductor technology or other technologiesderived from the technology, the functional blocks could be integratedusing such a technology. Another possibility is the application ofbiotechnology and/or the like.

The disclosure of the specification, the drawings, and the abstractincluded in Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-171945, filed on Aug.5, 2011, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

A transmission apparatus, a preamble transmission apparatus and atransmission method according to the present disclosure are useful inthat they enable efficient transmission of a response signal for arandom access preamble transmitted from a preamble transmissionapparatus.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   -   100, 400 base station    -   101, 401 setting section    -   102, 201, 402, 501 reception section    -   103, 202, 403, 502 control section    -   104, 203, 404, 503 transmission section    -   200, 300, 500 terminal

1. A communication method performed by a terminal, the methodcomprising: receiving broadcast information indicating a first resourcegroup, the first resource group including at least two resourcesub-groups associated with different threshold values of received power;determining, based on a received power measured at the terminal, aresource sub-group from the at least two resource sub-groups and aparameter relating to ra-ResponseWindowSize; transmitting a randomaccess preamble based on the resource sub-group; and receiving a randomaccess response based on the parameter relating tora-ResponseWindowSize.
 2. The communication method according to claim 1,comprising: receiving, by the terminal, a Physical Downlink ControlChannel (PDCCH) including assignment information indicative of adownlink resource in which the random access response is mapped.
 3. Thecommunication method according to claim 1, wherein a first resourcesub-group of the at least two resource sub-groups is selected in a casethe received power measured at the terminal is less than a firstthreshold.
 4. The communication method according to claim 1, comprising:determining a parameter relating to mac-ContentionResolutionTimer basedon the received power measured at the terminal, and receiving the randomaccess response based on the parameter relating tomac-ContentionResolutionTimer.
 5. The communication method according toclaim 1, comprising: receiving broadcast information indicating a secondresource group, and receiving the random access response without using ademodulation reference signal (DMRS).
 6. The communication methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the parameter relating tora-ResponseWindowSize is determined from a plurality of parametersrelating to ra-ResponseWindowSize.
 7. A terminal comprising: receptioncircuitry, which, in operation, receives broadcast informationindicating a first resource group, the first resource group including atleast two resource sub-groups associated with different threshold valuesof received power; control circuitry, which, in operation, determines,based on a received power measured at the terminal, a resource sub-groupfrom the at least two resource sub-groups and a parameter indicatingra-ResponseWindowSize; and transmission circuitry, which, in operation,transmits a random access preamble based on the resource sub-group;wherein the reception circuitry, in operation, receives a random accessresponse based on the parameter relating to ra-ResponseWindowSize. 8.The terminal according to claim 7, wherein the reception circuitry, inoperation, receives a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH)including assignment information indicative of a downlink resource inwhich the random access response is mapped.
 9. The terminal according toclaim 7, wherein a first resource sub-group of the at least two resourcesub-groups is selected in a case the received power measured at theterminal is less than a first threshold.
 10. The terminal according toclaim 7, wherein the control circuitry, in operation, determines aparameter relating to mac-ContentionResolutionTimer based on thereceived power measured at the terminal, and the reception circuitry, inoperation, receives the random access response based on the parameterrelating to mac-ContentionResolutionTimer.
 11. The terminal according toclaim 7, wherein the reception circuitry, in operation, receivesbroadcast information indicating a second resource group, and thereception circuitry, in operation, receives the random access responsewithout using a demodulation reference signal (DMRS).
 12. The terminalaccording to claim 7, wherein the parameter relating tora-ResponseWindowSize is determined from a plurality of parametersrelating to ra-ResponseWindowSize.